UFC Vet Brandon Moreno Knocks Out Maikel Perez, Claims Flyweight Title at LFA 69
The
Legacy Fighting Alliance on Friday stopped in Cabazon,
California, with LFA
69 at the Morongo Casino Resort and Spa.
The card was headlined by a fight for the flyweight championship that saw 2008 Olympian Maikel Perez take on Ultimate Fighting Championship veteran Brandon Moreno in his first title defense. Perez (6-2) provided glimpses of his impressive wrestling pedigree early on but was unable to keep Moreno (15-5) down for any significant amount of time. The Mexican had an advantage on the feet throughout and managed to floor Perez in the third round. It wound up being the turning point, as Moreno poured on the punishment from that point forward. He managed to overwhelm Perez in the fourth with a flurry of punches, prompting referee Mike Beltran to wave it off at 1:54.
The co-main event featured two talented lightweights in Arthur
Estrazulas and Steve
Kozola. They engaged in an early slugfest, as Kozola (9-3)
managed to knock down his opponent. Despite this, Estrazulas (11-4)
did not stop trading leather with his counterpart. The Brazilian
picked his spot, eventually took down Kozola and cinched a
rear-naked choke that forced the tapout at 2:32 of the first
round.
Desmond Torres’ grappling proved too much for bantamweight prospect Jose Medina. Their battle was competitive on the feet at the start, but once Torres (7-1) took down his opponent, it became a one-sided affair. However, Medina (4-1) managed to survive some tough spots and wound up securing a takedown of his own in the second round. It came down to the final round, where Torres executed an arm-triangle choke for the submission at 1:23.
Leg kicks decided the bantamweight contest between Kyle Estrada and Ricky Furar. Estrada (9-4) started landing kicks early, and Furar (4-2) was unable to check them effectively. While the Team Quest product had his moments and even gained back control late in the first round, Estrada had a clear advantage on the feet. Immediately upon the start of the second frame, Estrada landed several kicks, leaving Furar unable to stand. Beltran stepped in 19 seconds into Round 2.
It was a rough pro debut for Nadine Mandiau. The strawweight’s wrestling skills initially netted her an advantage over Crystal Vanessa Demopoulos, but it did not last. Mandiau (0-1) failed to advance position once it hit the ground, and Demopoulos (3-1) locked on an armbar for the verbal submission at 2:37 of the first round.
Despite a short-notice opponent change, featherweight prospect Natan Levy put together an excellent performance against Nicholas Badis. Levy (4-0) used his superior grappling to dominate much of the bout and managed to constantly threaten with strikes and submission attempts. To his credit, Badis (1-1) managed to fight out of several bad positions and refused to give in. Nevertheless, Levy earned a decisive unanimous decision, drawing 30-27, 30-27 and 29-28 scores from the judges.
The card was headlined by a fight for the flyweight championship that saw 2008 Olympian Maikel Perez take on Ultimate Fighting Championship veteran Brandon Moreno in his first title defense. Perez (6-2) provided glimpses of his impressive wrestling pedigree early on but was unable to keep Moreno (15-5) down for any significant amount of time. The Mexican had an advantage on the feet throughout and managed to floor Perez in the third round. It wound up being the turning point, as Moreno poured on the punishment from that point forward. He managed to overwhelm Perez in the fourth with a flurry of punches, prompting referee Mike Beltran to wave it off at 1:54.
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Desmond Torres’ grappling proved too much for bantamweight prospect Jose Medina. Their battle was competitive on the feet at the start, but once Torres (7-1) took down his opponent, it became a one-sided affair. However, Medina (4-1) managed to survive some tough spots and wound up securing a takedown of his own in the second round. It came down to the final round, where Torres executed an arm-triangle choke for the submission at 1:23.
Leg kicks decided the bantamweight contest between Kyle Estrada and Ricky Furar. Estrada (9-4) started landing kicks early, and Furar (4-2) was unable to check them effectively. While the Team Quest product had his moments and even gained back control late in the first round, Estrada had a clear advantage on the feet. Immediately upon the start of the second frame, Estrada landed several kicks, leaving Furar unable to stand. Beltran stepped in 19 seconds into Round 2.
It was a rough pro debut for Nadine Mandiau. The strawweight’s wrestling skills initially netted her an advantage over Crystal Vanessa Demopoulos, but it did not last. Mandiau (0-1) failed to advance position once it hit the ground, and Demopoulos (3-1) locked on an armbar for the verbal submission at 2:37 of the first round.
Despite a short-notice opponent change, featherweight prospect Natan Levy put together an excellent performance against Nicholas Badis. Levy (4-0) used his superior grappling to dominate much of the bout and managed to constantly threaten with strikes and submission attempts. To his credit, Badis (1-1) managed to fight out of several bad positions and refused to give in. Nevertheless, Levy earned a decisive unanimous decision, drawing 30-27, 30-27 and 29-28 scores from the judges.
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